Norman S. Archibald (April 7, 1894-September 1975) and Hazel M. Archibald Draper (March 28, 1891-February 1973) were the only children of Silas Archibald and Elizabeth J. Langille Archibald, naturalized American citizens originally from Canada. The family lived at 1206 Minor Avenue in Seattle.
Norman Archibald (also known as "Jim") graduated from Broadway High School in Seattle, attended the University of Washington for two years and graduated from Cornell University. Upon the U.S. declaration of war on Germany in 1917, Archibald left home determined to become an aviator and fly on the front against the enemy. After intensive training in Texas and France, Archibald served as a Chasse pilot in France, becoming a member of the 95th Air Squadron, First Pursuit Group on July 1, 1918. Lieutenant Archibald made daily flights at the front until September 8, when his SPAD aircraft was shot down behind enemy lines in St. Mihiel and he was taken prisoner by the Germans. Archibald was held in prison camps at Karlsruhe and elsewhere, not released until November 28, eleven days after the signing of the Armistice. Archibald recounts his experience, from his decision to become an aviator in 1917 through his reunion with his sister Hazel in France after his release, in his 1935 book
Norman Archibald died in 1975. The Norman Archibald Charitable Foundation was established in 1977 to support youth and child development programs; higher education and libraries; museums and the performing arts; and family and social services in the Puget Sound region of Washington State.
Hazel Marjorie Archibald also served in France in World War I, with the American Red Cross in Paris. She was accepted for service in October 1918; her decision was likely influenced by the capture and imprisonment of her brother in France the previous month. Archibald, a talented pianist and popular songwriter, worked as an entertainer in the Red Cross Hospital Hut Service, later transferring to the vocational department, inspired by her experience with wounded GIs. While in France in late 1918, Archibald continually sought information on the condition and whereabouts of her brother, finally reuniting with him in Tours, France in early December. Hazel Archibald continued to serve in the Red Cross until May 1919.
After the war, Hazel Archibald worked as a staff writer for the
On November 12, 1926 Hazel Archibald married Eben S. Draper, son of a former Massachusetts governor and himself a member of the Massachusetts House and Senate during the 1920s. Living in Boston, she continued composing music at least until the 1940s; in 1944 she created an operetta to be performed as a benefit for United Nations Relief.
These papers, photographs and scrapbooks document the intersecting experiences of a Seattle brother and sister serving in France during World War I. Through collected newspaper clippings, telegraphs, notes and photographs, mostly from 1918, emerges a picture of a young aviator captured by the Germans in France and the dedication of his sister who, while working tirelessly entertaining GIs in France, continued to search for her captured younger brother. Additional materials fill out the portrait of Hazel Archibald Draper as an ambitious and successful pianist and songwriter, and of Norman Archibald making his mark as a successful author, with his first hand account of his wartime experience, which was reviewed positively in newspapers nation-wide.
View selections from the collection in
Arranged by accession, then series by individual within each accession:
The collection is open to the public by appointment.
The Museum of History & Industry is the owner of the materials in the Sophie Frye Bass Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from MOHAI before any reproduction use. The museum does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
Norman Archibald and Hazel Archibald Draper Papers , Museum of History & Industry, Seattle
Accession 1982.105: Gift of Archibald Foundation Estate via Larry Miller, May 27, 1982.
Accession 2009.3.4: Gift of Estate of Norman S. Archibald via Pacific National Bank of Washington, 1976.
Pages of the Norman Archibald scrapbook were removed from portfolio and foldered.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Each scrapbook included loose materials dispersed between scrapbook pages or in accompanying envelopes and folders. These are described separately.
Scrapbook consists of reviews of and articles about Norman "Jim" Archibald's book
Clippings and ephemera related to Norman Archibald's imprisonment and release
Wartime clippings (1918); mentions of
Contains a list of Officers of the 95th Aero Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group and photocopies of reports from the period during in which Archibald crashed and went missing.
2 photographs of servicemen and officers in formation in an unidentified city; one photograph of Norman Archibald sitting with others at an event (circa 1960s).
Scrapbook consists of clippings documenting Hazel Archibald Draper's life from 1913-1926. Clippings document her prominence on Seattle society pages, and articles from the early 1920s report on the success of her musical career, as both composer and performer, in New York. Numerous clippings document her service as an entertainer for the Red Cross Hospital Hut branch in Paris, including a series of articles written by Hazel Archibald about her experience. Clippings also document the wartime capture, imprisonment and return of Norman Archibald. The scrapbook also includes an account of Archibald's dance with the Prince of Wales at an event the Empress Hotel in 1919, and announcements of her marriage to Eben S. Draper in 1926.
A folder of loose clippings from 1926, 1944, 1954, and 1963 includes wedding announcements and clippings about Draper's musical compositions and programs.
Photographs include: a portrait of Norman and Hazel Archibald by Imogen Cunningham;one portrait photograph depicting an unidentified man; one full-length portrait of Norman Archibald in uniform (1918); one photograph of little girl, possibly Hazel Archibald; and a group photograph of Native Alaskans
One drawing of a woman and one painting of a river, artists unknown.
Includes a letter from the American Red Cross, dated October 14, 1918, informing Norman Archibald's father that he is a prisoner of war at Karlsruhe and not wounded.
The "kicking mule" emblem of the 95th Aero Squadron is visible on the plane in one of the photos.
Photograph perforated with words "Unfinished Proof Bachrach."
Photographs perforated with words "Unfinished Proof Bachrach."
Permits, orders and telegrams related to Archibald's service with the American Red Cross in Paris.
Telegrams and letters sent to Hazel Archibald while she was in Red Cross service in Paris, regarding the status of her brother. Includes one clipping and a letter written by Norman Archibald to Lieutenant Joseph Waterman of the British Royal Flying Corps (dated October 10, 1918) notifying him of his imprisonment and condition.
Paris lingerie store receipt; handwritten note on
Hazel Archibald titled this album "Active Service with the American Red Cross in France during Allied War with Germany." The album consists of photographs and ephemera related to her service. Ephemera include telegrams about her service assignments as well as about her brother Norman's imprisonment, and permits for travel as part of the Red Cross. Photographs depict Hazel Archibald in Paris and other locations in France, including Versailles, Brest, and Amiens. Includes photographs of Norman after his release as prisoner of war (December 1918); a prison in Germany; an American Red Cross building; wounded soldiers; and a graveyard. Hazel Archibald is shown posed with other female Red Cross workers as well as with military officers, including General John J. Pershing.
Sheet music to compositions with words and music written by Hazel Archibald, published in New York.
Correspondence, invitation and photograph related to Hazel A. Draper's presentation at the Fourth Court at Buckingham Palace, June 24, 1932.
Photograph appears to have been printed off of frames from a film
Writing on verso: Typical Christmas show picture. You understand what I was explaining to you I assume.
After the war, Hazel Archibald worked for the